14.
“Haha! What a bold answer.”
He let out a hearty laugh, bending at the waist until his face was inches from mine. His eyes, crinkled at the corners, were filled with a strange, dark fondness.
“Little one, shall I help you get out of here?”
“How?”
“As you put it, my hobby is buying those whose eyes I like and setting them free.”
“You don’t keep them, but set them free?”
“That is correct.”
I let out a sigh of relief. It was comforting to know this old man wasn’t as wretched as I had feared.
But no matter how he framed it, the math was simple. Spending money to consume goods here—even human ones—was merely fueling the machine, encouraging this place to grow and thrive. Still, I was relieved to find he lacked any immediate, malicious intent. I upgraded my assessment of the old man, which had been buried deep in the dirt, and asked, “Why go through the trouble of spending money just to let them go?”
He lowered his voice, dropping it to a conspiratorial whisper.
“Because, on rare occasions, I gain a lifelong loyalist who wouldn’t hesitate to offer their own life for me.”
“And what if they just take the freedom and leave with gratitude?”
“Then I have simply saved one person’s life. A fair trade.”
It was true. During his prime, the old man had always been surrounded by elite, fiercely loyal talent. His right-hand men were famous worldwide, known as the guard dogs who would never turn their fangs on their master. Still, one thing nagged at me.
“Is it wise to tell the person involved such a thing?”
“I do not force loyalty, little one. Think about it—wouldn’t a person have to know exactly what kind of man I am and choose to follow me for them to be worth using as a trusted advisor?”
“Haha, you aren’t very honest, Grandpa.”
“……What did you say?”
“You just wanted to save those who had a strong will to live, didn’t you?”
Unless his subordinates were fools, they wouldn’t offer their souls to trash trying to exploit them. They followed him because he was a man worth the devotion.
“There’s a reason so many people follow you.”
“……Are you saying that is the kind of person I am?”
“Yes.”
“Hah. The more we talk, the more interesting you become. It wouldn’t be boring to keep you by my side.”
His voice had softened, and I could tell the mouth hidden behind his mask was curling into a smile.
“But if I had power like yours, I don’t think I would do it that way.”
“Then?”
The very fact that I had entered this auction house meant I had both power and money. And above all, this old man……
I stared at him, my gaze piercing through the iron bars with a sharp, provocative glint.
“I would turn this dog-like auction house into scorched earth.”
“……Haha.”
The fondness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an arctic cold. The air between us curdled.
“Do not be arrogant, little one. Do you have any idea how many noble houses are tied to this market? Do you think you could speak so flippantly if you actually possessed my power?”
With so much to protect, he clearly had no desire to stir the hornet’s nest of powerful families. Setting those with a strong will to live free must have been the last remnant of his conscience. I pulled the corners of my mouth into a wide, challenging grin.
“Then, Grandpa, would you like to make a bet with me?”
“……What kind of bet?”
“Whether I can turn this auction house into scorched earth in the near future.”
“Are you talking about yourself? You can’t even guarantee your own survival if I don’t pull you out of here right now.”
“Exactly. Since it’s a disadvantageous bet for me, if you lose, you have to grant me one wish.”
Faced with such an audacious demand, he glanced at the restraints binding my wrists, checking if the spell sealing my Abilitator was properly etched into the cuffs.
“I am curious to see by what means you intend to turn this place into dust while your Abilitator is sealed.”
“Aren’t you?”
However, there was one thing the old man was overlooking. Highly potent abilities are not bound by something as simple as a standard sealing spell. And I was exactly that case.
“You missed the most important part of the bet, little one. You haven’t set a deadline.”
“As soon as possible.”
“Well. That is an ambiguous standard.”
He turned away, as if his interest had evaporated. So stingy, for a man with so much wealth.
“……What time is it?”
As a final act of courtesy, the old man pulled a pocket watch from his waist. With a sharp click, the lid popped open. He held the face out to me.
“The central clock tower will be ringing soon.”
There was very little time left until noon. The conversation had swallowed more time than I realized.
“Hmm. As for the deadline… how about this much?”
I spread all ten fingers out in front of his face.
“Ten years? Are you telling me to wait until you are fully grown?”
“No. Let me correct that. How about this much?”
I lowered my left hand, holding up only five fingers. Then, I slowly began to fold them down, one by one.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
“What is that now……”
“Yes, it’s now.”
*Clang, clang, clang.*
As the sound of the central tower announcing noon began to toll, I smiled brightly and covered my ears.
*BOOM-!*
The moment my hands pressed against my ears, a thunderous roar erupted. The building shuddered as something massive struck the foundations.
“Arghhh!”
“A monster! A monster has invaded!”
“The building is collapsing, run!”
“Hey, manager! You have to set us free before you go!”
Amidst the screams and the chaos of the rampaging beast, the old man stared at me, motionless. He couldn’t hide his wavering pupils; he was entirely caught off guard.
“……Is this your doing?”
I pulled the key I had pilfered before entering from my messy hair and unlocked the cuffs.
“Something like that. Oh, just in case—making good friends is definitely part of my ability, too.”
*Clink.*
[Overwriting the current moment onto Time Point 1.]
As soon as the iron dropped, I loaded my saved point and rolled my wrists to shake off the stiffness. Just then, a quadrupedal monster lunged at the old man from behind.
“Oh, Grandpa, behind you……!”
*Squelch!*
I gaped at the sudden display of violence. He had obliterated the charging monster without even turning his head. It was a messy, explosive death. I crinkled my nose at the gore.
“Ah! Grandpa, was it necessary to kill it before I could even get a word in?”
“……What?”
I grumbled about his lack of patience and surged my ability forward. “It’s a good thing I make it a habit to save. I almost lost my ride.”
[Loading Time Point 1.]
Having reversed time to a moment before the monster’s death, I lunged forward and grabbed the old man’s sleeve, pulling with all my strength.
“Grandpa, this way!”
He followed the pull without resistance.
A heartbeat later, the monster tore through the iron bars where the old man had been standing, shredding the metal like parchment. The beast, having crushed the cage, turned to me, purring, and rubbed its massive face against my shoulder. It was a mount Raspi had prepared for my escape. I climbed onto its back and shamelessly called out to the bewildered man.
“Oh, I’ll mark this rescue as a different debt—separate from our bet.”
“……Wh-what?”
Having thoroughly exploited the old man, I slipped past the broken remains of my cage. I sprinted toward the cell where Rosemary was locked away, calling over my shoulder to the stunned man.
“Well, I have urgent business, so I’ll be going first! I’ll tell you my wish when we meet next time!”